


It’s all about the plants, babe

by Morathi_Cain



Series: What is it about those engineering boys? [39]
Category: My Engineer (TV), พฤติการณ์ที่ตาย | Manner of Death (TV)
Genre: 20+ years after all the crimes, Crossover, Fluff, Future AU, Gen, Getting Together, I'm gonna ignore potential deaths, King is 26 already, M/M, Tan and Bun return back to the city, but he will, hasn't met Ram yet, haven't read the books and won't, plants lots of plants, this is an experiment, with their son
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29297730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morathi_Cain/pseuds/Morathi_Cain
Summary: Crossover: Manner of Death X My engineerTan and Bun have spent over 20 years away from their hometown after all those crimes and deaths. Now, with a son on their side, they are coming back home, hoping to reconnect and finally get rid of the restlessness they've been feeling. King, charming by nature, has promised them to stay for one year before he'll go back to the city. He couldn't have expected all that is to come...
Relationships: King/Ram (My Engineer), Sorn/That, Tan Wirapong Inkhamvieng/Bun Bunnakit Songsakdina, others
Series: What is it about those engineering boys? [39]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1708738
Comments: 44
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have to thank a friend for giving me this idea. And now I am actually writing it and decided to do a multi-chapter ff. And well, let's see where this goes.  
> I wish you all lots of fun ;)

It’s all about the plants, babe

“Have fun!”  
“Make sure to be back home for dinner!”

King rolled his eyes and refrained from explaining to his parents that he was in fact 26 and out of school. Better even, he was out of university and had only accompanied them to this dot of a village because of their puppy eyes.

“One year”, he had promised or threatened them with a frown, but they hadn’t recognised any of that, cheering as soon as they’d heard the affirmation.

‘One year’ was now looming over his head the way it had done so since he’d first set eyes on this town. One year. Seriously?

But he had promised and here he was, going to work in one of the few shops, woods left and right, the roads dustier than anything he had seen.

“It’s our hometown”, he mirrored Bun’s words when they had told him their decision.

Why would anyone want to come back here? Especially after all the stuff that had happened?  
At least, he thought, they had told him about that already. He’d have hated it to learn about it from some villagers and their rumours.

Still, after 26 years in the city, it was weird to live in such a small village and he was sure he’d pack his stuff in exactly 365 days and move back into the city. Probably start work at Bohn’s company and see this dust-covered dot only whenever he’d visit his parents.

King sighed even deeper, remembering the beaming happiness both of them had shown as they had told him about their decision. He’d never suspected them to miss their hometown so much, but apparently, they did.

“Why did you move away in the first place?”, he had asked, even though that would have probably meant that they wouldn’t have adopted him twenty years ago.

Tan and Bun had looked at each other. Tan had looked almost nostalgic, while Bun had rather looked exhausted and King had known something major had happened. He just hadn’t suspected it to be about murder and fake deaths and human trafficking.  
To be honest, he was still shook and knowing what he now knew about the village didn’t help to see his surroundings as welcoming.

But, he had promised to accompany them and get to know the area and meet whoever of their old friends was still there. Which they apparently hadn’t gotten in contact with yet. And who hadn’t contacted them as well, although the whole town was probably by now knowing about the old newcomers.

Well, except for this one guy, who’d stood in the doorway with a wide grin the moment they had moved it. Oats was it, wasn’t it?

King stepped aside as a car drove past him, the dust high in the air.

Well, that had been a funny guy and King had barely believed him to be friends with his parents. At least until he had started crying and hugging them, overcome by emotions. Even though they had been rolling their eyes, King had known then and there, that this had been an actual friend. And it had been relieving somehow.

Even though the town had changed a lot, there were people who remembered and his parents hadn’t followed an impossible dream. And maybe, he’d be able to go back to the city in a year without too much guilt and worry.

He hoped, he really did.

~~~

“Do you think he’s going to be alright?”

Tan was standing at the window, watching their son make his way along the road towards his new work.

A familiar huff behind him, made him turn and see Bun smile.

“Of course, he will. Don’t worry too much. You know, how charming he can be if he wants to.”

“But does he want to?”

“He promised one year and I am sure he doesn’t want to spend it being grumpy. He’s like you, after all.”

Tan wiggled his eyebrows instead of arguing Bun’s words. King really was just in the middle of them.

“Why did we force him again?”

“Family heritage or so. Your fear of being alone and not able to see our son for months. The plants?”

“Right!”, Tan turned with a smile, “I’ve got to go and buy some for him!”

Another amused huff and Bun started hugging his husband: “Why don’t you two go together tomorrow? It might help him to get more familiar with the town.”

Tan’s grin grew into something else: “I will, but I’m still going to check the shop out today. Let us get a new cactus.”

“Oh, shut up!”

Bun turned, his cheeks burning, back towards the kitchen.

Laughing, Tan followed him and gave him a kiss on the shoulder: “I’ll do that. Don’t you have work soon?”

His cheeks were still burning, despite over twenty years of relationship, but he nodded after looking at his watch. Tan’s watch.

“Oat will soon be here to get me.”

Of course, Oat had insisted on accompanying him on his first day. How lucky the old hospital had actually been happy to have Bun back, really. But maybe it had been Oat’s influence as he was the main doctor now and happy to have some well-known company.

“Really”, he had moped, a few days prior, “I’m working overtime all the time and whoever they send to help, just quits soon after. Too lonely, too rural, too creepy, too many ghosts. What do they think when they come here? That it’s Bangkok2? Ahhhh....”

So yeah, he’d really been happy to have Bun back, reminding both of them of a puppy, despite being close to fifty years old. As were they. Ha ...

“Go then”, Tan interrupted Bun’s thoughts, even though his fingers were now slowly running through the hair at Bun’s neck, “I’ll do the dishes.”

“You’re going shopping later?”

Tan nodded.

“Could you get me some sweets, please? I want to give them to Nurse Fah.”

Looking at him with an understanding smile, Tan simply nodded again: “Sure, I’ll take care of it.”

There might not be a lot of friends left, but they wouldn’t let a chance to reconnect slip. And maybe, hopefully, the restlessness they had felt in their bones for the last 23 years out of town, would finally come to an end.

~~~

To be fair, King’s new boss seemed nice. As did the shop he’d be working in from now on.

‘Only a year’, he reminded himself before smiling at the explanations he was given right now. It was really only a small shop, responsible for a lot of maintenance in the area.

“Everyone here needs to be able to do everything”, his boss laughed, “But you should definitely try to find your special area. My son is mostly repairing machines for the factories, while the other two split the hospital and everyday household machines between them. We have a park close by and they could definitely use someone to help them set new technology up as well. But you might just go with every one of them to look into it, if you want to, first.”

Slowly, King’s cheeks started hurting from all the smiling, but he didn’t stop.

“That would be nice, yes.”

“Good”, his boss looked down at a chart, “If there are no orders to go out, you’ll work here on everything we get in. That might be repair or some new development, okay?”

Again, King nodded. Smiling.

“The others should be here already. Let’s see if they’re the break room.”

Together, they went through the small room full of machines and tools and entered an even smaller room, filled with a table, some lockers, a tiny kitchen and three people. Who all looked up as soon as the newcomers entered the room but stayed rather calm.

“Sawat-dii krap”, King greeted them, looking from one person to the other, “I am King. I’ve moved into town two days ago.”

No one really reacted, except for this one guy who smiled at him reassuringly.

“King will from now on be supporting us. He’s going to accompany you first and then we’ll find him his own area, okay?”

A collective nod, which proved they had all listened at least. The boss seemed satisfied.

“You can all introduce yourselves, I’m sure. I’ll be on my way. Don’t hesitate to ask, if you have any questions, okay, King?”

King nodded and watched the man walk out again, apparently glad he could give someone else the responsibility.

“Don’t worry”, the smiling man stepped closer, “He’s good, but he always has his own projects in mind, so you won’t see him much anyway. I am Sorn, by the way. I’m managing most of the calls and your schedules. If you have any problems, just ask.”

King looked up at the man who was probably between thirty and forty and too tall for anyone’s good. The name ringed a bell, but ...

“I’m Nam”, the woman in the back said, still looking at him critically.

King nodded again, his smile back on his face. This time, it was a bit less tense though, with the boss out of the room and his new coworkers showing first signs of greeting him.

“And I am Pan”, the youngest chimed in, obviously the boss’ son.

“Nice to meet you. Please take care of me.”

“Oh”, Nam grinned, “That one is very polite. We usually don’t get those.”

“Shut up”, Sorn rolled his eyes, “Let’s be happy about that fact. And also”, he turned back to King, a glint in his eyes, “How come you’re here now? Are you living in the house outside the village? The big, dark one?”

This ... King stared. This was oddly specific. He frowned as he looked at Sorn, but the man truly seemed nice. Well, maybe he had heard about those people moving back?

“Yes, exactly. My parents moved back and I came with them.”

“Dr. Bun is back?!”

“Dr. Bun?!”

The sudden outburst made King step back.

What?

But Sorn was directly in front of him, holding on to his shoulders and a grin on his face, stretching almost from one ear to the other. Impressive ears, by the way.

“Is Dr. Bun your father?”

King nodded, slightly overwhelmed. So, they knew him?  
Even Nam was now next to him, showing such a happy smile, she almost seemed like a teenager for a second.

“Oh my god!”

“I knew it!”

“I called it!”

“Who?”

Sorn turned to Pan, who was almost as confused as King. Or even more, because King at least knew who they were talking about.

“He’s been a doctor here before. Great man, saved my life a few times.”

“And mine”, Nam chimed in and King wondered if this was just about some medical condition or the case his parents had told him about.

“And your other father is Teacher Tan?”

It was so rare to hear his father being addressed like that, King blinked for a second before he nodded again.

“Ahhh”, Sorn stepped back, the happiness radiating from his body, “I always hoped they’d come back one day, but after twenty years I definitely wasn’t sure anymore.”

Twenty years... King tried to calculate how old this guy must have been back then. He’d probably been a minor, hadn’t he? Nam as well, even though the lines on her face were deep. But from what Bun and Tan had told him, it was a wonder anyone had survived in this town at all.

“Oh man”, Sorn’s grin only seemed to widen, “I have to tell That instantly. He’s gonna go crazy!”

“That?”

“His husband”, Nam rolled her eyes as Sorn was already pulling out his phone, “Survived a lot of shit together. Like, all of us.”

If anyone would have told King only a month ago, that he, known as the charming prince, would be totally flabbergasted and overwhelmed on his first day at work in a small town, he would have laughed. But now, standing between two people who obviously knew his parents and were going crazy over it, he was exactly that.

At least Pan was more confused than he was.

“You know”, Nam gave him a push against his shoulder, “I’ll take you with me on my round today.”

“Wait, what?”, Sorn looked up, “You can’t just take him away! I have questions!”

“Ask them later!”, Nam laughed and pushed King slowly out of the door, “For now, it’s my turn.”

For the first time, in a really long while, King had no control over his life anymore and was reduced to nodding and following.

He really had imagined this day to go differently.

“Nam!”

They stopped, right in front of the door and turned towards the boss, who’d come out of his office again.

“Yes?”

“Where’s Ram?”

Nam shrugged: “Probably already on his way. Ask Sorn, he should know.”

And with this, Nam went out of the office, dragging King behind her.

Ram ... this name didn’t ring a bell, not even the shadow of one and King let out a sigh.  
He had hoped for his parents to reconnect with their friends and whoever was still living in this town, but he would be surprisingly happy to meet more people who didn’t know who they were. He really was ...

To be fair, at the end of the day, he had to admit Nam was awesome. His day had turned out fun enough, even though he was also exhausted as hell.

Now, he’d have to get to know the rest.

~~~

It was only a glimpse. Only a second, barely.

King was walking back home, the text to his parents sent several minutes ago already, dawn giving the town a special vibe. Did it always look so apocalyptic? No wonder this was a place of crimes, really.

But opposite to this morning, King wasn’t stressed about it any longer. At least, for the moment. Who knew who he’d meet the next day? Which was, funny enough, already a Saturday and with this, half free.

The sound of several dogs made him stop in tracks.  
Fuck.  
He looked into the direction, his whole body tense and ready to run away any second now.  
He ...

The dogs were opposite of him, led at leashes alongside the road by a man as if he wasn’t handling three big dogs at the same time.

King stared, unsure if he was safe to go on when the man turned his head ever so slightly and their eyes met.

It was just a glimpse, not even a second maybe, but King felt as if he’d been hit by lightning. Something, deep inside of him, had been changed fundamentally.

And he was rather afraid to learn what.

to be continued ...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for waiting and all those comments and encouragements I received! =^^=  
> I sincerely hope you're gonna like this chapter as well ;)
> 
> Ps. I'm taking some liberties with the show and its plot since I don't know what's gonna happen next Monday and I didn't read the book. Especially regarding people who'll survive :P The episode might influence future chapters though, depending on what exactly is going to happen.

Chapter 2:

King had expected silence and peace at home. Some nice dinner maybe, with Tan still at home and not teaching yet, but otherwise just a usual evening. Well, as usual as it could get with his parents anyway.

When he got home, Tan was in the kitchen, sorting out his shopping with an effectiveness he’d honed over twenty years of marriage.

“Hey”, he turned with a slight smile before nodding towards the table, where King could see some green in between an army of groceries.

Suddenly, all the exhaustion he had felt till now, vanished.

“You got new babies?!”

Ignoring the telling laughter of his father, he raced towards the table to look at and greet the newcomers. He’d brought some of his babies with him, but to make this his home as well, he needed more. Way more. And he knew his fathers were the same, especially Tan.

“It’s not much”, Tan’s voice was now much closer, the excitement clearly audible, “Just a few cacti for nostalgic reasons. But I thought we could hit the store again tomorrow?”

King remembered times when Tan had asked him the exact same question and he had refused. Not because he hadn’t wanted to, but because he’d been a teenager, trying desperately not to like what his parents were liking.  
Luckily, this was over by now.

“Sure”, he was grinning in anticipation, “Tomorrow afternoon?”

It was, like always, wholesome to see his father be happy about such small things. Which was exactly the reason he’d decided to follow them here.

A hand ruffled his hair as if he was still twelve and King let him for once. He was emotional anyway, why not let himself be pampered a bit?

Tan returned to his groceries while King inspected the cacti a bit closer, remembering old tales he’d been told several times already.

“How was work?”

Oh, right, he’d almost forgotten. King straightened himself and leaned against the table to watch his father shuffle around, knowing full well there was nothing he could do to help. He’d mess up the rhythm anyway.

“Good. Weird. Exciting”, he laughed, suddenly more amused by everything he had experienced this day, “Seems like I am surrounded by old friends of yours.”

This peaked Tan’s interest so much, he stopped putting the vegetables away: “What? Who?”

“A woman named Nam and a man named Sorn.”

“What?”

If Tan would have held anything in his hands, he probably would have dropped it, King was sure.

“So, you do know them?”

“Of course!”

His father let out a somewhat unbelieving laugh, “They were teenagers back when we lived here and all the shit went down. They were involved in the whole mess and we stayed a bit in contact when we left, but at some point, it just became less and less thanks to everyone growing up. They must be over thirty now as well. Oh man, Bun will be so happy to know! Wait, did Sorn say anything about That? I really hope he’s not in trouble!”

The amount of information was a bit overwhelming, but King managed to get through it.

“Yes? I think so? At least that’s what Nam called Sorn’s husband.”

If King had been less confident in the love of his father, he’d probably worried by then, because the parental pride lightning up Tan’s face was stunning.

“Husband? They’re ... oh wow! Bun will be so delighted! I absolutely need to see them. Who would have thought? Oh, no, scratch that, I would have. Totally.”

“Yeah, sure ...”

“Oh, believe me! Back when they were both more worried about the other despite their own wounds, I knew they were destined for each other.”

“You know not every love story is like your own?”

It wasn’t that King didn’t believe in love, it was more like a natural reaction to his parent’s grand love. And the fact that he’d always heard about fated love, lasting for years without a crumb of hope, while he himself hadn’t fallen for anyone in 26 years.

He’d experienced small crushes a few times, short moments of wondering if this might be the beginning of something more, but in the end, it had never been.  
And, after some time, filled with frustration that he wasn’t experiencing what everyone else was, he’d accepted it and decided he was quite happy with his friends and plants. And if others were experiencing this grand love, he wished them good luck and all the happiness.

When it worked out, as it did for his parents and Mek and Boss, he was happy. If it didn’t, as it had happened to Bohn, he was sad for them. Although, in Bohn’s case, he had been secretly relieved to see him getting out of such a toxic relationship.

“Of course”, Tan’s sober voice brought him back to the present, “but believe me when I say that those two are fated. Maybe it was the death and horror, maybe it was something else, but I don’t wonder about them staying together.”

Thinking back to Sorn’s soft and friendly disposition, King now wondered how this That was. Especially with Tan’s trouble-comment. But he was sure he’d see him very soon himself. If the last few days were any indication to go by.

“So, shall I give them your number?”

Tan nodded, looking rather happy again, “They might appear in front of our door anyway, but please do so. And now start preparing the table, Bun is going to be here soon.”

“You’re sure he won’t be distracted by the mountain of friends you have here?”

This time, Tan’s smile seemed rather crooked: “To be honest, I am not sure who’s actually going to be happy about our return. Some are and I am glad about it. But there are enough people who’d rather see us gone, I guess. And if it’s just because we remind them of darker times.”

Really, from all he had heard till now, it was no wonder his parents had concentrated on themselves, surrounded by plants in Bangkok. And King.

He started laying down the dishes: “What level of being unhappy are we talking about here?”

“Everyone we really pissed off is either dead or in prison, so it might only be a mild discomfort and us being ignored”, his father let out a laugh, “At least that’s what I hope for.”

Oh, what wonderful times ...

“But ...”

He couldn’t finish his question, the sound of the door interrupting them.

“Babe?”

An annoyed groan was the answer and to their surprise, three men entered the room, Bun in the back, laughing.

The first one was this doctor again, a colleague of Bun who had visited them a few days ago already. A bit weird, King had thought, but in a good way. And also oddly familiar, even though he had no idea where to place him.

The other one was tall and more handsome than the rest of them combined. Despite his age. King really had to check himself not to drool over someone who probably could be his father as well. This one was also using a cane to walk, despite his big frame.

From his expression, he had been the one who had groaned.

“M?”

And apparently, he was a friend as well.

As he watched those four men greet and hug each other with booming laughter, voices mixing so much he couldn’t understand anything anymore, King leaned back and watched silently.

It really had been a good idea to come here.  
This had been worth it.

~~~

The next morning, King was still somewhat exhausted from the evening before, with all those loud, happy men talking over each other with constantly changing moods, reminiscing about old times and talking about new ones.

King himself had barely been able to say a word but to be honest, he hadn’t wanted to.

Only later, when Bohn had called to check up on him, he had tried to summarise this day alone, barely able to comprehend what had happened.

“You sound happy”, Bohn had settled on at the end of King’s mumbled words and King was once again glad his best friend knew him well enough.

“I do”, he said, “And I guess I am. For now. Ask me again in a week when I got to know all my coworkers and probably lots of annoying customers. Not to talk about whatever corpses my parents still have buried in this village.”

“You haven’t met all of them yet?”

“No. Apparently one was missing today.”

“Is it someone special?”

“Not that I know of. I just wonder if he’s also an acquaintance of my parents.”

“Only one way to find out.”

King could see the way Bohn shrugged in his mind.

Oh yes, he would.

~~~

Ram didn’t know his parents.

At least, that was what he guessed from the blank stare as he met his co-worker the next day for the first time, being introduced by Sorn.

He had expected nothing, but especially not the man who had led those big dogs around town the evening before.

Wonderful, King thought while smiling politely, the knowledge definitely didn’t help.

Ram nodded at the mention of King’s name and family history but otherwise didn’t show any signs of recognition or even the inclination that he might be interested in talking to King.

Which, okay, everyone their own, but also: rude.

King tried an even wider smile: “Nice to meet you.”

Another nod with this blank face, before Ram turned to Sorn, asking questions with his eyebrows, only Sorn seemed to understand.

Wow ...

“As I promised, you only have one assignment today and the rest will be off. I managed to persuade Apichai to wait till Monday. Lucky for you, she likes you.”

The blank face didn’t change, accepting the news with whatever emotions were behind those eyes. Did nothing matter to him?

But just as Ram accepted the papers for his assignment, King caught him looking quickly over to him, a fast and nervous movement of his eyes, before they seemed to get stuck on Sorn once more.

And now, now King was intrigued.

Ram started to turn, but Sorn stopped him: “Boss wants King to accompany all of you at least for one day before we decide what area he’s going to concentrate on. Nam called dips on him for today, but it’s going to be your turn next week, okay?”

Another shifty glance, a shrug and Ram was gone, leaving another kind of silence than the one he’d given. King felt a shiver run down his back.

“Sorry”, Sorn smiled ruefully, “Ram is naturally very quiet, especially with new people. But don’t worry, he’s really good with his work and most people like him. Especially the elder ladies are always fussing over him. Yes, despite his tattoos.”

Now, Sorn was laughing as if this was an inside joke and King tried to imagine this stoic man being fussed over, probably uncomfortable without end.

It was, to be honest, an image that made him laugh and want to know more.

Well, there would always be next week, wouldn’t there?

~~~

He’d really expected not to run into someone from the same village for a whole week?  
Shame on him.

He’d thought he’d seen a familiar face outside the flower shop and he’d gone, intrigued, to peek through the leaves.

Ram.

Of course, it was Ram.  
Somehow it seemed almost natural that the one man who was reacting so differently to him was the one he’d meet accidentally.

King watched, hidden behind a green wall, as Ram stopped, two of his dogs sniffing at something next to the road while the third stayed so close, he almost made Ram trip.

Bah, King huffed. People who were effortlessly comfortable with big dogs were suspicious to him, no matter who. And Ram was no exception.

Except ...

Suddenly Ram crouched down to scratch the third dog behind his ears, leading to wild tail wagging and a very happy dog. King had to admit it was kind of adorable, even though he was still happy the plants and tables and glass were between them. But still, seeing a big guy like Ram be so soft and caring shone a different light on him.

And then Ram smiled.

King would later blame Tan for his overdramatic reaction.  
Because really, there was no reason to describe the smile of a man as breathtaking, was there? Or as astonishing? A shock to his system?

No, King shook his head but wasn’t able to look away.

It must be because Ram hadn’t shown a single emotion till now. So, one emotion, even if it was a small smile, was of course something special.

And King kept being intrigued ...

“King?”

He surely wasn’t proud of the way he flinched at the sound of his own name, turning around way too quickly to be inconspicuous.

“Are you okay? What’s going on outside?”

Tan’s brows were furrowed, but he wasn’t yet in the ultimate worried state. King controlled his breathing and hoped the heat he was feeling in his cheeks wasn’t too visible.

“I ... nothing. Just some dogs, but all is well.”

The worry deepened, but the curiosity didn’t, which had been King’s goal all along.

“Then why do you stand so close? Come and help me choose.”

And King nodded, ignoring the first question with a fluttering heart.

~~~

“Do I seriously have to stay as well?”

Despite his easy demeanour, King didn’t really like big groups of people and knowing all of those guests would probably be talking about old times, didn’t make it any better.

Bun gave him gaze so telling, King was instantly defeated.

“They want to get to know you, too, King. You’re our son.”

The words “I know” were held back barely. He’d always been bad at controlling the bit of temper he had around his family.

“Also, Sorn and Nam are your co-workers, you should have enough to talk about. You’re not a child anymore who needs a kid’s table, are you?”

Of course, Bun was trying to bait him, the smirk in his eyes clearly visible. Instead, King rolled his eyes.

“Okay, I’ll stay. But if all you’re going to talk about are the old times, I will definitely have to go to bed early.”

“Duly noted.”

Hands ruffling his hair made him wonder if indeed, he should get his own kid’s table.

In the end, it wasn’t half as bad and way more interesting. Especially since he finally got to meet the famous That.

Whoever he had expected to be Sorn’s husband, it hadn’t been this guy.

That was dirty in the sense of him working so much with old cars, he’d probably never get the stains out of his hands or cheeks ever again. He also had a rough laugh, the lines around his eyes deep until he looked at his partner. Then, he’d lighten up with this fated love, Tan had talked about.  
Seeing That and Tan next to each other, on the other hand, explained a lot. If anyone would have told him that those two were related, he’d instantly believed it. The way they talked and laughed and smiled at their partners, softening their expression instantly, was almost the same. Even their jokes seemed on the same wavelength, making everyone at the table groan in frustration. Well, everyone except Nam, who was hollering the loudest most of the time.

She was truly a force of nature and it was no wonder the rest of them were almost centred around her. It made King wonder what her role had been back then.

“I am really glad you came with them”, Sorn said with this innocent smile of his next to King, “It’s good to see them settled and happy. And I hope you’ll like it here as well. It’s not much, but something.”

“I’m still trying to adjust”, King admitted, feeling rather comfortable with the man already, “But I am also glad I accompanied them.”

Another smile before Sorn leaned closer: “So, tell me about yourself, King.”

It was rare to be asked so directly, King realised. In university and at work he’d always been the one who’d avoided talking about himself, rather than asking others and making them feel comfortable. But here he was, with no chance to evade and really, with Sorn it was okay. He could at least tell him a tiny bit about himself.

The connection between the people around the table was palpable, even though they hadn’t seen each other for many years. Apparently, Oat had visited them in Bangkok a few times when King had been a child, but he had no recollection of those times.

At some point, King distanced himself so much, he was only watching the whole lot of them, their interaction with each other.

He was watching the way his parents held hands under the table as if they had to ground each other, no matter how bright their smile was.

He was watching the adoring gaze with which Doctor Oat stared at Bun as if he’d found his idol once again, having missed him for years.

M, by his side, seemed to get especially grumpy during those moments of adoration and King promised himself to as Tan if their grand love had been obvious from the start as well.

He was watching That with his mood swings, grounding himself with barely a shared glance from Sorn regularly.

And he was watching Nam, who seemed so strong and powerful, but also almost vulnerable in the middle of them all. As if she could let down a wall she’d been holding up till now.

It was fascinating, really, and King wondered if one day he and his friends would be looked at in the same way. If they’d still meet up twenty years in the future, feeling so at home with each other.

He tried to imagine it. Tried to imagine even a child, but it didn’t fit and he gave up. All that was left was hoping that he’d have friends in twenty years. Friends, he would be able to feel at home with.

The ringing of the doorbell was barely audible with all the noise going on, but King had heard.

“Are you expecting someone else”, he turned to Bun, who hadn’t even realised anything yet.

“No, why?”

“There’s someone at the door”, and before Bun could even get up, King was standing already, “I’ll go, don’t worry.”

He’d probably have to get one of them anyway, but it was good to move and have something to do. Something besides watching his parents and their friends.

“Yes?”, he opened the door.

What ...

The sight which greeted him was another surprise this village was giving him.  
A rough, scarred face with cold eyes was looking at him, judging him by the look of it.

This was one even older than Tan or Bun, King guessed, as well as taller. No, not only taller, but bigger. As if he could move mountains if they dared to stand in his way.

Was this another friend?

“Hello. Who’re you?”

“Are Tan and Bun living here?”

Even his voice was rough and King got hit by the smell of cold smoke, faint and clinging.

Carefully, King inclined his head, unsure of how to proceed.

“Who wants to know this?”

“Por”, the man huffed, his stance getting more aggressive by the second, “Is the bastard in or not?”

The bastard?

Flashbacks of the tales his fathers had told him came back in a rush. Tales of dangerous, violent men. Tales of a Por as well, if he remembered correctly. Good thing he hadn’t seen a picture of the man back then. He would probably have had nightmares for weeks. Which would have led to him sleeping in his parent’s bedroom again, effectively disturbing all alone time once more.

“No bastards are here, Sir.”

Sadly, Tan had always had a hand for bad timing.  
Right now, right then, his laughter was to be heard, as clearly as possible.

A smirk appeared on Por’s face, his scars like deep paths on his face.

“So, the bastard is in, it seems.”

And with those words this big man pushed King aside as if he was a mere doll and walked in with long, determined strides, his voice booming back from the walls: “Tan! Bastard! Where are you?”

Fuck, King swore, following him inside hastily, without a plan.

Fuck!

to be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading =^^=
> 
> Please let me know if you like it!
> 
> -> for prompts or rants or if you just want to talk to me, feel free: morathicain.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting! The finale definitely threw me off my plans for this fic a bit, even though everyone I wanted to survive, actually survived. But still, one needs to process what happened, first ;)
> 
> So, I hope you'll enjoy the next part of this.  
> Have fun!

Chapter 3

Por walked in as if he knew the place and maybe he did. Not even once did he look around confused, but steered, without fault, to the big living room as if he owned the place.

“Por? What ...?”

The moment, King entered hurriedly, Por was pushing Tan against the next wall, a mountain of barely contained fury.

King froze, unsure what to make of this because ... because Tan didn’t even look a tiny bit afraid. Like, not at all. King knew his father would rather provoke a devil than back down, but this sudden attack should make him react in another way than to ... smile?!

Confused, King looked around at all the proper adults in the room, waiting for someone to jump between them or say something, anything.

Instead, some were as confused as he was, while others looked almost amused. Only Bun showed clearly how tired of this game he was. Because that was apparently what was happening? Or not?

“You really haven’t changed at all, have you?”

Tan grinned as if he’d just received a compliment: “I could say the same of you, asshole.”

Okay, either those two knew each other well or his father had gone completely crazy. What ... ?  
Por’s frown changed into a mean smirk before he pushed Tan once more against the wall and let go.

Instantly, Bun was by Tan’s side, holding on to his husband, as if he didn’t trust Por all the way. Which was probably sensible. At least from King’s point of view. His worry was raised again.

“Dad?”

Por turned to look at King, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he was only now looking at him properly.

“This one is new.”

Putting on a smile, braver than he actually was, King even took a step forward but didn’t dare to extend his hand yet: “I am King. I’m their son.”

“Oh”, Por’s grin grew even meaner as he looked back and forth between the parents and their child, “You didn’t tell me.”

Finally, with a huff, Tan went away from the wall, Bun still clasping his wrist: “I did tell you, in fact. Twenty years ago to be precise, but your old brain must have missed it. Too many hits to the head?”

The mood shifted to something aggressive as if those two old men were about to throw hands any second now. King took a step back again, unsure how to handle and ...

Tan laughed.

King blinked.

Tan continued laughing, his whole body shaking. And then he was next to Por, pulling him into a tight hug as if the man wasn’t the epitome of a mafia boss. Which he might actually be if King remembered the tales correctly ...

Even Por seemed surprised for a second before he held on to Tan begrudgingly.

That’s what Tan did to you, King knew. And Bun, obviously. Bun, who was now back to being done with them, rolling his eyes as he sat down at the table again.

Placing a grumpy but happy Por on an extra chair, Tan patted him on the back: “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I thought you were out of town.”

The short glance towards M didn’t go unnoticed, but the man ignored it generously. Or maybe he didn’t care so much with the way he stretched and adjusted his wounded leg. Oat, leaning back, looked as well with familiar worry in his face, before he placed one hand on said leg, subtly massaging it.

King turned away, feeling as if he was now the one invading their privacy, even though they did it all out in public.

“I was, had to tend to another one of the clubs, but the news of your arrival was too big to ignore.”

“It was? I didn’t know you missed me so much.”

One thing for sure, Por would never actually agree to this statement, but his affectionate eye-roll was better than any words. Then, he got serious again.

“You’re sure about coming back?”

“Why?”, Tan frowned, “You still hate me? I thought you went respectable some years ago.”

Another side glance towards M, who didn’t seem to care as much as Por feared or hoped for.

“As long as you don’t pull any shit, I’m good. And me being respectable has nothing to do with you pulling shit, which makes anyone hate you. Which I’m not the first suspect for. Ask M.”

All eyes turned towards the man who hurriedly brushed Oat’s hand off his leg, a tiny bit embarrassed.

“What?”

Por huffed: “I wouldn’t be on top of the list of suspects who might hurt Tan and Bun, would I?”

Throwing an apologetic glance toward King’s parents, M nodded: “There might still be a few people with grudges left. It was, after all, not possible to prove everyone’s involvement.”

Bun’s rage was like a rocket, exploding instantly: “You continue to employ those assholes?! Did the police stay as useless as you were back then?”

M, apparently used to this by now, seemed unimpressed: “We got everyone into prison, who had a proven part in it. With others, it wasn’t sure how much they knew or if they had a part in it at all. Some of them, we could only fire and keep watching.”

Suddenly a tiny bit of frustration shone through the calm mask: “Believe me, I would have gladly dumped the whole lot into the ocean, but then no one would have been left. Not even me.”

The last statement was said as a finishing blow and silence followed for a few seconds. Bun didn’t spew any more accusations, but his face still showed his frustrations.

“Are we at least safe from those with lingering grudges?”

“I can only tell you of the ones we know of and those still get watched regularly. If you managed to enrage someone else, I can’t guarantee anything. Remember, this went deep down and we don’t know about everyone who got hurt in the whole process.”

Suddenly, Nam chimed in, her tension palpable in the room: “My wife’s parents suffered from the whole business being revealed as well, even though they didn’t know about it. I mean, they were glad it was revealed, but they struggled for a long time as well.”

“Your wife?!”

Bun and Tan were standing, staring at the woman as if they had never heard about it. Which was weird, because King definitely had. Nam hadn’t been shy or unwilling to talk about her wife. Or better: wives.

Nam shrugged. Maybe it was a bit like coming out to your parents for her with them because she seemed rather unsure for a second: “Yes. My wife. Or ... one of my wives.”

King’s parents seemed as if they needed a long moment to adapt and realise. Not because they didn’t want it to be true, but because they hadn’t expected it.

“Wow”, of course, Tan was the first to speak, a spark in his eyes, “You’ve been living your life to the fullest, haven’t you?”

Now, a tiny smirk appeared on her face: “Let’s say I got roped in by them, but yes, sure as hell I am!”

“Tell them to treat you well, or they’ll have to answer me!”

Apparently, King realised with a laugh, Tan had adopted most of the kids in this town back then. Definitely those three at the table, even though they weren’t kids any longer.

Still wondering what Nam’s role had been, back then, he remembered how she’d talked about her wives, a sudden softness in her voice and face. They had apparently been a couple already when she’d met them and collectively decided to take care of her forever. With lots of love, which she seemed to enjoy, no matter her demeanour.

“They will fight you”, she laughed as a reply to Tan, her tension falling away and her happiness skyrocketing suddenly.

Bun smiled softly: “I am happy for you.”

Definitely adopted, King thought as he leaned back, the mood in the room calming down again as everyone started talking again, heavy topics left aside.

And King hoped, with a look towards all those smiling people with heavy pasts, that it would stay this way.

He hoped.

~~~

Work went on as King followed his colleagues during the next week, getting to know more and more people around town. People and businesses, as well as the landscape around them. It was a rather relaxing way to explore the region, their daily tasks rarely filled with the haste he knew from Bangkok.

Everyone knew everyone, it seemed, and if they didn’t, they still spoke informally most of the time. Even the one time a customer had been rather grumpy and impatient, Pan had stayed calm. King had chimed in with a smile and more patience than the man had been able to fight against, successfully being charmed.

Another one hadn’t been able to be persuaded, but at least he hadn’t been outrageously impolite, just grumpy and brisk. And his mood had worsened with every minute they had been there. If it could be helped, King would rather not come back, except if Pan needed some support. If ...

Working with Pan had been comfortable. He was younger than King and of a rather optimistic nature while also being way more talkative than his father. He’d also been eager to show King all the factories and whatever else he could of the area. It had almost felt like a sightseeing tour, to be honest.

Now, after another two days, King was supposed to go with Ram.

Ram, who he hadn’t seen since last week, their accidental encounter at the garden shop. An encounter, Ram didn’t even know about.

Funny enough, King was nervous. More nervous than he’d been with the others. Was it because the man was intriguing to him? Or because he couldn’t really read him? Not as well as the others at least?

Although to be fair, he hadn’t had a proper chance to learn about him yet, with the way Ram usually seemed to disappear whenever King was at work. He either hadn’t been in yet or had already left. A usual occurrence, apparently, but still somehow weird.

Especially, since it happened again. On the day they were supposed to drive around together. Which had been ordered by the boss.

King sighed as he looked at his watch again. They had been supposed to meet half an hour ago, but Ram wasn’t here yet. Had he forgotten?

“Sorn?”

Sorn looked up from the papers he was working on with a surprised look: “You’re still here?”

King nodded.

A frown appeared as Sorn got the phone instantly: “Must have slipped his mind. Don’t worry.”

King didn’t, not really. Or maybe a tiny bit, wondering if Ram had really forgotten or if he was trying to avoid him. It was a feeling he hadn’t been able to shake off since the first time they had met properly.

“Ah, Ram!”, Sorn exclaimed, successfully pulling King out of his own thoughts, “Did you forget King? You were supposed to take him with you today.”

The silence stretched as Sorn listened to the other end of the conversation, making King even more impatient.

“Oh”, Sorn nodded thoughtfully, “Okay, don’t worry. I’ll tell him. Drive carefully.”

King raised his eyebrows as Sorn ended the call without further ado.

“He got an emergency call from the hospital quite early because one of their machines broke down. Now he’s on his way back and will get you before continuing. Would it be possible to wait at the junction? It would safe him some way.”

There was only one major junction Sorn could talk about and King nodded, ready to go before ...

“Could you give me his number, please?”

Ram was his colleague. It shouldn’t be weird to ask for it, just in case they missed each other again or Sorn had, in fact, talked about a completely different junction. Still, with someone as private as Ram, it almost felt intrusive to ask for it.

But Sorn smiled and apologised: “I should have thought about it sooner, sorry. Here you go. Tell me if he isn’t there in half an hour, okay?”

“Sure. Thank you”, King smiled as well, despite the sudden nervousness as he stared at the number in his hands. As if he’d just received the direction to a short cut.

~~~

At least, King thought as he watched every van approaching the junction with expectation, Ram hadn’t avoided him wilfully. The knowledge had somehow been more relieving than he’d thought and wanted. He had only met this man twice if he counted the one-sided encounter at the shop. There was no reason to be so invested already.

Although he had to admit, he had a hard time accepting when people didn’t like him anyway. He knew he couldn’t force everyone, but he had this intense need to at least know why someone might dislike him. Which was rather funny when he thought about his parents being quick to say what was on their mind, not always caring for everyone’s opinion.

Sighing deeply, King squinted at the next van crossing the junction. How many of those were on the road this early? It was a joke by the universe to fuck with his mind, wasn’t it? He shook his head, trying to calm down again. As the van passed him without slowing down, he looked away, towards the distance once more, hoping the next van might be it.

A screeching sound made him jump and turn. The van hadn’t stopped but was driving back now, with incredible speed. What ... was that Ram?

Carefully, he stepped to the side, giving the swaying van more space as he watched it approaching and then stopping.

The doors opened, but instead of Ram, he looked into the faces of two unfamiliar men. Oh no, that wasn’t right. One was familiar indeed, as he was being the one who’d been unreasonably rude towards Pan and him and ...

Suddenly, they were next to him in a flash, grabbing his arms with enough force to give him no chance to flee. What ...

They pulled and King stumbled, his mind in utter confusion, the panic rising instantly.

“Let me go!”

No one answered but he got a slap across his face as an answer, a shocking sting.

“Stop!”, he screamed, “Help!”

It was too early, everyone either at work or still at home and of course not one car to be seen exactly at this moment.

King struggled, as he got pulled closer to the van with every passing second, his face and arms hurting.

He tried to kick but missed.

He tried to scratch something, anything and felt skin underneath his fingers, but no one let go.

“Help!”

He was almost in the van, the try to push himself away from it with his legs, seemingly futile. And he knew, somehow, that it would be over once he was in the vehicle. There was a third man and none of his captors would be needed to drive and no one would be able to see him once the doors closed and ...

A crash broke his stream of panicked thoughts as the whole van seemed to shake and suddenly, King was falling. The connection to the earth was painful, but the pain wasn’t important. More important, was the sudden commotion and how those people who had tried to abduct him, were suddenly on the ground around him.

One was holding his head, the other was already trying to stand up again, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. He didn’t get far as another punch instantly sent him back to the ground with a shout.

The van started in a hurry, the wheels spinning so fast, it sounded like a shriek. Whoever drove away, didn’t care for the people they left behind. King would have still felt threatened if those people hadn’t been defeated already, whimpering on the ground.

Slowly, with a splitting headache, he looked up, careful not to move too much.

His saviour didn’t say anyway, but crouched down the next instant, right into King’s field of vision.

Ram.

It would have been another shock if the pain wouldn’t have been so dominant now. Or the former shock of being abducted. Still, the worry was clear in Ram’s face and he checked King with experienced movements for wounds.

A movement from the side caught his attention and cold fury took over, while his hands were still gently holding King’s face.

“Stay down.”

A shiver ran down King’s spine, even though the sharp words weren’t directed at him.

Apparently, the guy didn’t listen, because Ram stood up once more and after another thud, returned to King’s side.

By now, his vision had cleared up some more. The pain was now located in specific areas instead of his whole body and King found his voice again.

“Are you Batman?”

For a second, he thought Ram might leave him on the pavement and go away, but then the man let out an annoyed huff and rolled his eyes. Instead of answering this very important question, he got out his phone.

Did he want King to be taken away and never to be seen again?

A few crisp sentences and it was clear, Ram was calling the hospital to get them and tell the police as well. When he described King’s condition, he eyed him critically again, giving King more attention than he was comfortable with right now.

Really, he almost felt ashamed. If it had been so easy for Ram to punch those assholes, why hadn’t he been able to defend himself?

“I’m a boxer”, Ram grumbled, once he had finished the call and had turned back to King.

“Why are you here?”

King tried to stand up, but Ram prevented him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Just arrived to get you”, more grumbled words reached his ears, “Saw you.”

King looked around and only now saw the new van on the side of the street, parked hastily and with doors wide open. Doors, which revealed eyes. Eyes, which belonged to a dog. A dog which wasn’t in the van at all suddenly and ...

Ram turned, apparently alarmed by the sudden shock in King’s face. A new kind of shock.

But when he saw his dog, he calmed down. Instead of sending the animal away, he sent it to the guys on the ground, who were moving slowly, as if he wouldn’t be able to see it. When the dog appeared next to them a moment later, they stopped though. King understood. Too well.

His heartbeat was in his throat again, almost worse than before, his whole body so tense, he could feel a panic attack approaching.

With a swift motion, Ram was in his field of vision, right between him and the dog and the attackers. Calculating worry darkened his features as he seemed to come to the right conclusion.

“You’re afraid?”

King tried to smile as if that would make it less embarrassing and horrible: “A bit?”

Letting out a sigh, Ram seemed to force himself to be more emotionally supportive than he seemed comfortable with: “No need to be ashamed. I’ll send her back in a bit, okay? For now, she has to take care of them. But I won’t let her come close, okay?”

Nodding, King concentrated on Ram. The dog was there to help him, not attack him and he’d seen Ram with his dogs. He seemed to have them under control. He was safe. He hoped.

Only when he was finally in the ambulance, waving Ram goodbye, he realised he’d been holding on to Ram’s hand the whole time. And his fingers kept tingling for quite a while.

~~~

In the end, King had only a slight concussion, several painful but harmless bruises and some scratches of the slap, as well as a deep shock to his system. He was just glad an unknown doctor had done the examination, because Bun’s panic filled the whole room as soon as he entered, later.

King was used to being fussed over by him and he understood the need to make sure he was alright, but he was glad he was already on pain killers, numbing his mind as well.

There was worry and anger and fear in Bun’s eyes as he checked King once more for any injuries as if he couldn’t trust anyone’s judgment.

“I’m okay”, King tried to reassure him.

“I have to see for myself”, Bun murmured and King let him.

At least Tan believed Bun’s words, when he rushed in with double the panic and triple the relief, once he saw King alive and awake, secure in everyone’s care.

“I never wanted this again”, Bun seemed to force every word, “Why is this happening again, Tan?”

But Tan shook his head and pulled King into a gentle hug first, before holding Bun’s hand.

“Who was it?”, he asked instead.

“One of our clients”, King repeated what he’d said to the police already, “Two of them are in custody. Ram caught them.”

“Ram?”, Tan was confused.

“His colleague”, Bun explained as if he hadn’t been as clueless about Ram’s existence only half an hour ago.

There happened a shared look of unspoken communication and King was content to wait. They’d tell him whatever they had to say anyway.

“We have to get to know him and thank him properly”, Bun stated, which had the effect of King being shy instantly.

“I am no longer a kid, I can do it, too.”

But he knew his protest was futile. At least for now. Once he had all his brainpower back again, he might be able to persuade his parents that whatever they had planned, might be embarrassing for Ram as well. Maybe ...

King thought back to those short moments of comfort. Apparently, Ram was able to speak more if he needed to. Now, it was to be seen how long the effect would last and how their next meeting would play out.

The tingling feeling in his hand still hadn’t subsided though, no matter how often King decided to ignore it. The next meeting, indeed ...

Whatever King had imagined though, it definitely hadn’t involved an overprotective Ram.  
And King had no idea how to handle that.

to be continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, the angst in between was a surprise to me as well ^^°
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Please let me know if you liked it =^^=
> 
> -> feel free to talk to me: morathicain.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please let me know, if you like it =^^=


End file.
